Location: Western New York Steelhead, Bahamas Bonefish, Wild Western Trout

Posts: 496

Los Roques, January 2012

We still have two spots left for our 2nd annual trip to Los Roques in January. Big bones, lots of bones, bones on a dry fly and plenty of baby tarpon make for a fun week. Great meals prepared by our italian chef, with fine wines make for great evenings of storytelling.

Los Roques, Venezuela bonefishing adventure (January 7-14, 2012)
National Park Archipelago Los Roques is a necklace of islands in the Caribbean Sea situated 80 miles off the north coast of Venezuela, conveniently located for anglers traveling from the US. Technically referred to as an archipelago, Los Roques is an unspoiled atoll, characterized by its extremely clear waters, magnificent coral beds, diverse and varied flats, sandy beaches and hundreds of smaller mangrove cays –all with incredible natural beauty. Los Roques was declared a National Park in the mid-70’s. and then in the mid 90’s, even more environmentally conscious regulations were enacted to protect the overall environment of the entire Archipelago. Some flats are coral, some are soft marl covered with turtle grass and sea weed, however most flats are firm, clean white, or golden in color, and easy to navigate. You will also be fishing extensive sand flats and beach flats, channels, cuts, coral shallows, mangroves, and massive muds created by hundreds of fish schooled up and feeding. In sum, Los Roques represents a bonefisherman’s wading paradise. Los Roques continues to be one of the best kept secrets in saltwater fly fishing.

Thanks to its location (only 12 degrees north of the equator), Los Roques air and water temperatures vary little. The climate at Los Roques is dry and it rarely rains. The area is relatively unaffected by cold fronts and hurricanes. These factors make Los Roques one of the most consistent bonefishing locations in the world.

Los Roques offers outstanding numbers of Bonefish with a very solid average size of 3-4 pounds. Fish over 5 pounds are caught more frequently than fish under 2 pounds, and good numbers of fish in the 7-10 pound range are present. Over the past two seasons, our largest bonefish released weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds! Although bonefish are the main attraction in Los Roques, tarpon from 10 to 100 pounds are frequently landed. They can often be seen rolling in the channels and occasionally on the deeper flats. Permit are seen occasionally, but are rarely caught. Other available species at Los Roques include barracuda, snook, cero mackerel, bonito and a variety of snappers and hard fighting jacks.

Once at Los Roques, the typical day begins at 7:30 a.m. After a hearty breakfast, you walk only few feet from your beachfront room to load your gear into the boat. Sight Cast’s protocol consist of a pair of anglers to a guide, a boatman and a boat, to ensure that only two anglers will be on a certain flat at a time. Generally, anglers will share the guide for equal periods of time as they alternate flats. Fishing hours may vary depending on conditions but it is a full 8-hour fishing experience each day.

After a full day of fishing, anglers return to Acuarela Lodge at around 4:30 pm where the staff will be waiting to assist them in unloading their equipment. Acuarela is a deluxe beachfront lodge on El Gran Roque with 10 comfortable rooms and an ample lounge area. Rooms are well ventilated with. Each room has a private bathroom with hot water. Meals at the lodge are prepared especially for anglers, and the attention and service is top quality.

Cost is $3995/person, based on double occupancy ($525 for extra day of angling and night on Los Roques)

Included: First night lodging at the Eurobuilding Express Hotel (the nicest hotel on the mainland in La Guaira), 6 nights lodging and 6 days fishing on Los Roques, all ground transfer services on the mainland, round trip air transfers from Caracas to Los Roques, three meals per day, fishing licenses and permits, beer and soft drinks on the boat each day.

Not Included: International flight to Caracas, meals and beverages on the mainland, alcohol (except beers on the boat,) gratuities for guides and staff, Los Roques National Park Entry Fee (approx. US$18,) domestic departure tax (approx. US$21) and international departure tax (approx. $53 as a tourist.)

This is a great trip, I went last year. I've been around, and this is by far THE best place for bones that I've been to. DRY FLY FISHING. Anyone who is on the fence about this place needs to go. Seriously. The food is the best I've had on any trip. And a funny thing is that there is a night life if you want to party a little. Did I mention an hour massage there for $35. Less than four months til I'm there again....

I might be interested Vince but can only do it solo. If you find another single let me know and I might be able to swing it. Do I get my $66.67 discount on this trip from that check of yours I never cashed?

Oh and I have a box of bonefish flies that I put together for you per those emails we traded a while ago but I keep forgetting to send them! I made it a baker's dozen I think.

__________________
My passion for catching fish is eclipsed only by the fish's passion not to be caught.
Scott

You should go. It's a great place. I don't generally repeat the places I go to, since the world is so big. But I'm going again because it's probably the best place on the planet for bones. Dry fly action. Unreal. This year we have to get a good video of it so people really understand what it's like.

No disrespect Vince but I would'nt even consider that thing to be a fly let alone a dry !
In respect to the Italian girls on the other hand, even though some may not necessarily be the "real deal" as you stated, I would'nt dare be as critical.

No disrespect Vince but I would'nt even consider that thing to be a fly let alone a dry !
In respect to the Italian girls on the other hand, even though some may not necessarily be the "real thing" as you stated, I would'nt dare be as critical.

I'm sure there are arguments on this website about what's a fly and what's not a fly. In my opinion, if you're casting fly line with a fly rod, you're fly fishing. As long as the thing on the hook isn't a worm or live minnow. Half of the supplies for tying are synthetics anyways. And so what if there's no thread? A trout eats an Adams because it thinks it's a bug, the bone eats a floating gummy because it thinks it's a floating sardine. Sidelock, you have to see a bone trying to eat off of the surface. It's awesome

[QUOTE=doctorsteve]I'm sure there are arguments on this website about what's a fly and what's not a fly. In my opinion, if you're casting fly line with a fly rod, you're fly fishing. As long as the thing on the hook isn't a worm or live minnow. Half of the supplies for tying are synthetics anyways. And so what if there's no thread? A trout eats an Adams because it thinks it's a bug, the bone eats a floating gummy because it thinks it's a floating sardine.

Location: Western New York Steelhead, Bahamas Bonefish, Wild Western Trout

Posts: 496

Juro, I'd be happy to try one out if you get it to me by January 5! I'lll get you a photo of the fly in a fish's mouth!

Gummies are certainly not traditional flies--I guess I should have called it a popper or just said Gummy minnow, and then said you can catch bones on the surface. That's the thrill--watching a bonefish try to eat a floating minnow imitation-or come up to within inches of it and then refuse it, just like a trout.

For arguments sake, when trout or steelhead fishing, if you use a sinking leader or split shot, are u then really fly fishing, even though you have a traditionally tied fly on the end of your leader? Some people believe not, and I have heard that some sections of certain rivers do not even allow sinking leaders or weight, because using them is not in line with traditional flyfishing. Of course I use both at times and I like to believe I'm still flyfishing!

Personally I don't judge or concern myself because it's up to the person on the other end of the line whether (or not) it's flyfishing to them, and it doesn't make a bit of difference what bystanders think unless that bystander is wearing a badge and the laws require it.

On Los Roques if I had a tying kit with me or perhaps on a second visit I would be trying to figure something out for my own satisfaction, but if not I then would tie a gummy on in a heartbeat "when in Rome".

To me (i.e. subjectively speaking) flyfishing is a style of fishing that (a) does not involve scent or taste (b) delivers the 'lure' by having acquired the skill to propel a wave of energy through a coated piece of string while (c) not using the weight of the object to cast or fish (d) using the action of the water movement or puppeteering by hand to entice gamefish, which are more often than not released.

To me intermediate, sinking, sinking tips are 100% flyfishing. That too is subjective because I only swing for steelhead and salmon with them to change the column of the swing.

To me split shots and bobbers are not. They are fishing, but not flyfishing. Would I do it? If everyone on the trip was outfishing me 10:1? Yes before I got back on the plane home - but I would not consider myself nor pretend that I was any kind of top gun flyfisher for having done it. If I had figured out how to get them on dries and the ratio was down to 2:1 or so I would feel like the MVP of the trip even having caught only half as many fish as the rest. People get too hung up on numbers of fish. One mud and you can land 40 bones in a tide change, what has one achieved then? I would rather land one tailer in skinny water than 40 in a mud.

BTW I love fishing huge poppers for stripers and blues! They suck to cast